I wouldn’t switch my plane seat with a mom who wanted to sit with her kids, she called me an a–hole

A man has revealed he was slammed by a mother for not giving up his seat on a plane – with his stance backed by online users.

In a Reddit post, which has generated almost 10,000 upvotes and more than 1000 comments, the passenger explained he was travelling home from Greece on a 10-hour flight.

He said given this time of year is “extremely hectic”, he paid extra to sit at the front of the plane to be closer to the gate when it was time to disembark.

“I personally hate traveling so I spent a bit more money to be closer,” he said in the post.

However, when he got on the plane, a mother-of-two approached him and asked if he could switch seats.

The man said normally he would be OK with that, but it meant he would be inconvenienced as he would be pushed back 20 rows and “not be getting his money’s worth”.

“I rejected and said that I would like to keep my seat. The woman said that I was being an a–hole and I should just give up my seat so she could sit with her husband and kids (ouch right in front of her kids too).

“I said, ‘Respectfully ma’am, your travel issues are not my problem. I am keeping the seat I paid for.’”

According to the man, the woman “made a scene” and called him an a–hole again.

“She basically said, ‘Wow look at this a–hole who can’t even move seats so a family could sit all together.’”

He told the mum she should have booked ahead of time, or spent more money on tickets to sit together.

“This is not my issue. Grow up and get over it. I am not moving seats. End of story!” he said in the post.

The man said the woman’s husband apologized for her behavior explaining, “She hates traveling, but giving her the seat would have made things easier in the end.”

The passenger’s stance in refusing to give up his seat was supported by an overwhelming amount of users who agreed he wasn’t in the wrong.

“Where do people find the nerve? one person asked.

“I have extreme anxiety (crying, panic attack) on planes, so I usually fly with a buddy. Without fail I pay for us to sit together. It’s that easy to plan ahead,” a second person wrote.

A third person added that “using humiliation or bullying to con your way into a better seat should be quashed by the airlines”.

“You accept what you paid for and that’s it,” they continued.

Others suggested the family should have asked the airline agent at check-in to move their assigned seats – or to have planned ahead.

“You paid for your seat and have every right to sit there,” a Reddit user said.